


Someone Has to Help

by Coraline_Call



Series: Council of Immortals [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Big Hero 6: The Series (Cartoon), Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics)
Genre: Beast Backstory, Creepy, Cthulhu Mythos, Elder God Beast, Elder God Bill Cipher, Eldritch Beast, Eldritch Bill Cipher, God Gregory, God Wirt, Lantern-Bearer Wirt, M/M, Mystery, Older Gregory, Original Character(s), Plot, The Unknown is limbo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23549818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coraline_Call/pseuds/Coraline_Call
Summary: Tadashi Hamada knew many things. He knew how to program robots, he knew about alloys and construction materials, he knew he was proud of his brother -Hiro- for all of his hard work getting in to SFIT. What he didn't know, however, is how exactly he got lost in the woods. He doesn't remember going to the woods- he doesn't even LIKE the woods. But here he is in the middle of nowhere with a pair of eccentric brothers- the older one dramatic and a little socially awkward; the younger one overly cheerful and optimistic. Neither of them owning even a simple phone. It's like being trapped in the 1800s. Oh- and of course they constantly talk about some beast in the woods. However, these two brothers (no matter how strange and possibly cult-like) they are seem to be Tadashi's only way back home. The Inventor must work through the mysteries of the woods and uncover secrets that, perhaps, were better left hidden as he works to uncover the ultimate truth about himself- and about why he can't go back.
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Cthulhu (Cthulhu Mythos), Tadashi Hamada/ Wirt, The Beast (Over the Garden Wall)/Bill Cipher
Series: Council of Immortals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694986
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue

Tadashi awoke with a start, he could feel his face flushed with heat as he stared up at a dusky grey sky- partially obscured by the swaying branches of leaves. His chest heaved, rising and falling rapidly as he heard the pounding of his heart in his ears. He felt sick, nausea radiating into the pit of his stomach; he rolled from his back onto his hands and knees and heaved onto the ground but nothing came from the effort and his trembling arms eventually gave out, leaving him face down in the damp grass.

The feelings gradually subsided and the young SFIT student was able to bring himself into a sitting position in order to better survey his surroundings. The heat in his cheeks slowly ebbed and he was left feeling an unsettling chill in the otherwise mild air.

That was... weird... wasn’t it spring?

He wiped the dirt from his cheek, reaching up to adjust his hat, only to find it missing. This was another strange find. He was sure he had put it on this morning before Hiro’s presentation-

_**Hiro!** _

His heart stopped. He was _just_ with Hiro! His brother had gotten a scholarship to SFIT from an incredibly competitive expo. It was going to change Hiro’s life! Tadashi could feel the pride swelling within him, though it was not enough to overshadow the barrage of other emotions clouding his mind. His brother had worked so hard, had changed so much... He knew Hiro had finally found his way onto the right path.

Maybe _that_ was the reason the eldest Hamada now found himself wandering the woods. Maybe he had taken Hiro out to celebrate? It was... an odd choice given how he was pretty sure neither he nor Hiro actually _liked_ camping. Did Aunt Cass? Or had he decided to take Hiro out with his friends to help him get acquainted to college life?

Did any of his _friends_ like camping?

He felt like Gogo **might** have mentioned it one time.

“Hiro!” He was going to have to get her to remind him how, exactly, she had talked him into this as soon as he found his way back to camp. “Hiro!?” This was the reason Tadashi didn’t like these sorts of adventures: here he was lost and no one seemed to be close by. He pulled his cellphone out, of course there was no service. There always was that one area in the woods where the electronics would get a little bugged out. He couldn’t even get 4G.

“ _ **Gogo**_!? **Honey**!? Fred!? Wasabi?” He tried each name, each with a little less enthusiasm as he was met with only the rustling of the leaves and the occasional flutter or chirp nearby. He had not really seen any animals, but he could hear them. He rubbed the back of his neck, the feeling of isolation starting to weigh on him just a bit. Tadashi generally considered himself calm tempered but he was getting a bit nervous with no sign of anyone around him.

“Guys if you’re kidding around, you can stop now...” He knew they weren’t anywhere nearby. He would have heard Honey giggle or Wasabi sneeze (the pollen would have been a dead giveaway for sure). He took a deep breath, trying to remember what had led him to this point:

_He remembered going to the expo...;_

_He remembered seeing Hiro win.;_

_He_

_remembered...._

Everything is a little bit 

**_f o g g y_**

**_._ **

**_..._ **

**_....._ **

_I̴ ̴w̸e̶n̴t̴ ̶t̶o̵ ̸g̵o̷ ̵g̴e̵t̸ ̷P̶i̵z̴z̷a̵ ̷w̵i̶t̶h̸ ̸A̶u̴n̶t̴ ̸C̶a̴s̸s̶ ̴a̴n̸d̷ ̵H̴i̷r̸o̴.̸_

Tadashi rubbed his head. The thought was so _**vivid**_ , so **_clear_** in his mind that- if it had not been in his own voice- he could have sworn someone had whispered it to him. 

That sudden burst of clarity snapped him back to the present. He squinted, everything becoming more obscured, as the shadows of the trees elongated and merged into a blanket of night slowly seemed to suffocate forest. The temperature was _plummeting_. Tadashi shivered, pulling his sweater around himself more tightly, the chill biting into the skin of his neck. He attributed the sudden temperature drop to the wind. 

But that didn't seem to be the case. It _couldn't_ be....

There was no sound. No rustling of leaves, no pitter-patter of paws, there was not even the buzzing of insects. Tadashi was not an expert in nature, but science dictated that if the wind had swept past him, then surely the leaves would have rustled and shaken. He looked up at the sky above him and the trees now stood stagnant against the empty night.. not even a twinkle of stars broke up the monotonous darkness that had slowly crept over him.

As the silence pressed in, Tadashi took a hesitant step, the sound of grass underfoot his only refuge from the eerily silent night. Despite the noiselessness; despite that his own footsteps accompanied only the sound of his heart beating in his ears; despite the fact that he had still yet to see evidence of life in these woods: Tadashi could not help but feel as if he were being **observed** by something just passed the edge of the darkness, camouflaged by the stationary, looming trees. It seemed paranoid- most likely a reaction to the sudden onset of silence- but... just in case...

Tadashi picked up his up his pace.

The rhythmic thumping of his own steps synced perfectly with the heavy beating of his heart. He checked over his shoulder. 

Again, nothing was there.

Again, nothing.

Again, not a thing.

Again, still nothing visible in the dark- nothing to give a face to the feeling of being _hunted_.

> ........ ** _SNAP_**

Tadashi whirled himself around, adrenaline pumping through him as the fight or flight response kicked into full force. The sound of his ragged breath filled his ears as he searched the sillohuetted trees behind him for whatever had made that sound. 

And again, there was nothing.

Nature was not supposed to be this _silent_... that much he knew. This all felt...

**_Wrong._**

He turned back around so quickly his head was still spinning. He picked up his pace again, almost breaking into a run. The nightmarish feeling of being constantly pursued was absolutely **crushing** him. It had to be just that- a nightmare. 

Why else would he be in the woods? It just didn't add up!

_I̴ ̴w̸e̶n̴t̴ ̶t̶o̵ ̸g̵o̷ ̵g̴e̵t̸ ̷P̶i̵z̴z̷a̵ ̷w̵i̶t̶h̸ ̸A̶u̴n̶t̴ ̸C̶a̴s̸s̶ ̴a̴n̸d̷ ̵H̴i̷r̸o̴.̸_

The thought was in his head again. Despite the dreamlike quality of the situation the thoughts in his head were suddenly very clear. 

_A̷n̸d̸ ̵I̵ ̴r̶a̵n̴ ̵i̶n̴t̶o̴ ̸m̵y̷ ̸f̶r̷i̴e̴n̴d̵s̵ ̷a̸t̸ ̵t̵h̷e̷ ̵r̷e̶s̸t̷a̶u̵r̶a̸n̵t̸._

_I̵ ̴w̴a̴n̸t̷e̸d̴ ̶t̵o̴ ̵c̷e̷l̷e̷b̷r̶a̷t̷e̸ ̷H̵i̸r̸o̴'̷s̴ ̶s̴u̸c̶c̶e̸s̸s̶_

_S̸o̷ ̸G̸o̶g̶o̸ ̸S̶u̷g̶g̶e̴s̸t̷e̵d̷ ̷w̷e̵ ̷a̶l̶l̴ ̶g̸o̸ ̸c̴a̶m̴p̵i̸n̸g̶ ̶t̷o̸g̶e̴t̸h̵e̶r̵_

Everything was starting to come together, yet- Tadashi was not feeling any relief. The pieces were falling into place but the puzzle itself seemed distorted. The idea was so disorienting that Tadashi nearly missed the pinprick of light in the distance. It was only the flickering movement that caught his eye. The light swelling up and ebbing back down like a fire- 

All of the sudden he felt much worse.

"Hey, are you lost" 

The feeling dissipated as quickly as it came. 

The voice that spoke was not his own and all at once the realization hit that the dancing light before him belonged to a lantern. It was most likely some kind of old oil lamp, nothing he or his friends would use. But he didn’t care who was holding it. Never before had he been so happy to see something so old-fashioned. He sprinted toward the light source, trying to catch his breath and find a voice with which to call out.“Is someone there?”

“H-help!” he managed to choke out as he stumbled forward into the lamp-light. “P-please, help me.” The words were hard to get out through the heavy heaving of his chest and the strangling tightness in his throat. 

He was hunched over, the feeling of eyes on his back had ebbed but not vanished quite yet. Slowly, he looked up to see a man no older than himself (perhaps a year or so younger- it was hard to say). The man with the lantern was a good head or two shorter than himself, shaggy brown hair and one ice blue eye. The other eye was covered with a leather eyepatch like some sort of pirate from one of Fred’s videogames. His ears and front teeth stuck out, both just a bit too large for his head. He was small framed, a little awkwardly built- but most of his form was hidden by a dark blue cloak adorned with gold buttons. One hand held the lantern, a deep, rusted red in color. The firelight light illuminated what he was holding in his other hand- and suddenly Tadashi was back on edge- stumbling away from the stranger as the glint of metal caught his eye.

An ax.

Tadashi fell backward in his attempt to avoid evisceration. 

“Oh, sorry.” The other male lowered the weapon, attaching it to his belt and letting it be hidden by the over-sized cloak. Tadashi noted that was not the only wseapon he seemed to have- there was a bow on his back, though no arrows could be see. “You ran at me so suddenly, you caught me off guard. Didn’t mean to scare you.” It may have been Tadashi’s imagination, but he could have sworn the single eye was looking past him, into the woods.

He turned to look as well, but of course there was nothing there. As he turned back, the stranger was offering his hand to him to help him back to his feet. Tadashi hesitantly took it; slowly trying to get his thoughts together.

“I didn’t mean to run at you like that- I'm just not accustomed to the woods. It was getting dark, I don’t know where any of my friends went, I can’t even find my brother, and I just-” Apparently his attempt to collect himself was unsuccessful. He did not want to sound like a madman to the slightly off-putting man with the ax, so he tried his best to simplify his situation (as best as his racing mind could manage). “I’m lost.”

“Hi lost. I'm Wirt.”

Tadashi stood there for a moment completely floored by the response. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or get angry. “D... did you just dad-joke me?”

“I was trying to lighten the mood. You looked panicked. Did it work?” He raised the eyebrow over his visible eye.

“I... I’m not sure...” Tadashi replied honestly. He supposed, in a sense, it had worked as he no longer was hearing his own heart and labored breath. It might have been the fact that he was finally seeing another human- or maybe it really was just the blatant absurdity of the joke but some of uneasiness was melting away. “I... I guess it did.” He stood up to his full height, wiping sweat from his brow with one hand before offering the other to ‘Wirt’. “My name is Tadashi. Tadashi Hamada. I’m from San Fransokyo.”

“Oh, we’re doing like a whole thing. Okay.” He looked a little confused but went along with the format Tadashi had laid out. “Wirt Aberdale, Hillsdale."

“Where is Hillsdale?” Tadashi couldn’t recall all the little towns around San Fransokyo proper, but that certainly did not _sound_ familiar.

“Michigan.”

“I’m in ** _Michigan_**!?”

“What?” Wirt blinked (or maybe winked it was hard to tell). “No. That’s where I'm from. I thought we were- ugh never mind.” He looked a little annoyed by Tadashi’s reaction. “You're not in Michigan. Where do you think you are?”

“California, _right_?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Wirt's tone was dismissive and Tadashi was fairly certain he didn't like it. The answer itself was not making him feel better. “Hey it’s getting pretty late and I mean this with no offense but you look absolutely terrible.” Now it was Tadashi’s turn to blink in surprise by the bluntness of the stranger. Wirt was a little... odd to put it nicely. “My brother and I live nearby; you’re welcome to stay with us till morning. It's not much but we have food and a guest room.”

“Do you have a phone?”

Wirt seemed to be holding back something he wanted to say and simply shook his head. “No... we’re...” he trailed off for a moment. “We don’t really do the technology thing.”

“I’d really rather find a phone.” Tadashi wasn’t sure how much he liked the idea of following this guy with an ax, into a technology free cabin, in the middle of woods, that were located in (possibly) Michigan. This was how people his age ended up on the news.

“Okay. Suit yourself.” Wirt turned to leave.

“Wait!” Tadashi suddenly found himself struggling to find a reason to follow. Wirt had actually _had_ the opportunity to hurt him earlier. Hell, he had been holding the ax to Tadashi’s face, more or less. If he had wanted to attack... surely, he would have done it then...

_Right?_

Tadashi wasn't going to lie to himself- he just really hated the idea of being left alone in woods again. Maybe it was worth the risk. He looked Wirt up and down: he didn’t look all that tough. Tadashi was pretty sure if it came down to a fight, he could take him. The brother would have to be examined when he got to whatever little murder-shack Wirt called his home.

“Change your mind?” Tadashi swore he saw the hint of a smirk.

“Y-yeah. Please don’t leave me alone out here.”

“All right then, follow me.” Wirt turned to walk ahead of him. Once more, Tadashi had that feeling of being _stalked_. It was somewhat lessened, but still present. That deep, penetrating gaze was sizing up his every move, hungrily watching from the shadows behind him- eyes that could see everything he was doing and yet could not be seen.

He shivered, that bitter chill begining to set into his kin once more. “Can we hurry?”

“Yeah,” Maybe it was Tadashi’s own uneasiness clouding his perspective, but Wirt sounded a little more serious. “These woods are dangerous at night.”


	2. Gregory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this doesn't have a steady update schedule like For the Glory of Irk. But do expect more updates in the future!!!! I hope you all enjoy!

“We’re here.” Tadashi was presently surprised as Wirt presented him with a warm, homey looking cabin next to a somewhat repaired old mill. It looked as if repairs had been started at one point, then abandoned half way through. The inventor wasn’t entirely sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t something this well constructed and inviting. 

“Did you build this?” Tadashi was impressed. The aesthetic fit with the  old-fashioned theme of the woods perfectly. 

“Nope.” Wirt opened the little wooden door and lamp light came spilling out into the dark. Everything had been so eerie, almost devoid of life; the cabin was a welcome contrast with its lived-in look and welcoming light. “It belonged to a friend and her family a long time ago, but they’ve moved on from here.” 

“Oh? Where did they move?” 

“Up north somewhere.” He shrugged. “It was a while ago.” 

“And they just gave you their house...?” Again, suspicion of Wirt was starting to form. Tadashi didn’t want to assume he had murdered this nice family... but...

“More or less. I mean, they weren’t using it anymore.” 

“You being needlessly cryptic again bro?” A voice called to them from the next room. Tadashi nearly jumped out of his skin; he had nearly forgotten about the aforementioned ‘brother’. The voice was friendly enough, but he was still a  tad suspicious. 

“I’m just answering our traveler’s question.” Wirt grumbled as he took off the cloak, hanging it up on the door. Underneath he had a simple white collared shirt, grey pants, and suspenders. Tadashi hadn’t noticed it in the dark, but it seemed as if Wirt had absentmindedly worn two different shoes on his way out. It was almost comical. 

“Traveler?” A head poked out of the doorway. “Oh! Company! Good thing I cooked extra food then- and you said it was a waste buying all that from the market. Just goes to show you stuff.” The brother grinned walking out from around the corner. He had a rounder face and build, his hair so long it reached his knees. His eyes were a bright hazel, his skin just a little more tanned. His clothing, while still more traditional in its bland color and make, had a modern flair: Tatters in the pants, sleeves ripped off. Even the long hair was something not indicative of the time period Wirt and the cabin seemed to be reflecting. He certainly was the polar opposite of his brother. 

“You got lucky.” Wirt’s response was now from further away. Tadashi had been so caught up in sizing up the brother that he failed to notice Wirt had wandered off to place the lantern on the mantle and tend to the fireplace. 

“Name’s Gregory! But you can call me Greg! I’m Wirt’s brother.” 

“Younger brother.” Wirt was quick to specify.

“Younger but taller, brother~” Greg, as he was called, offered a hand toward Tadashi in a cordial fashion. After Wirt’s dry tone, this overly friendly brother was giving Tadashi whiplash. The spooky atmosphere of the forest had been twisted into a friendly family setting so suddenly it was more than just a little jarring. 

“Tadashi, Tadashi Hamada.” Tadashi shook his hand after finally coming back to his senses and collecting his thoughts. “Hey Greg,” he let their hands drop, crossing his arms over his chest once more, still feeling a little anxious. It seemed answers would be a little easier to come by if he addressed the younger brother. “This is California, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” He nodded confidently. “You got a little lost, my friend, but not that lost.” He laughed. “Why, did Wirt scare you?”

“He did a little.” Tadashi felt more at ease. 

“I love that brother o’ mine but he has a flair for the” Greg spread his hands out, palms forward, wiggling his fingers “ _ dramatic _ ~.” 

“Oh, thank god,” Tadashi actually started to laugh as everything began to come together for him. “I thought you guys were in some kind of crazy cult or something- but you’re just theater kids.” Being a science nerd himself, Tadashi had never been much for theater, but he enjoyed seeing the arts with Honey (she had seemed to really enjoy them). Greg openly burst out laughing, so loudly it caused Wirt to look over, confused. 

“That’s a good comparison, really. Wirt’s a poet, I’m more of a musician.” He made a motion as if strumming a guitar. “Music is something to speaks to people throughout space and time. It is the universal language. Music is-” 

“Greg the food.” Wirt spoke from the fireplace. Greg’s eyes  widened . 

“Ah beans!” he hurried back into the kitchen. “Okay cool, nothing’s burnt we’re still good!” Tadashi chuckled as he heard Greg call out from the other room. Wirt rolled his eyes- or rather- eye as the case seemed to be. 

“He’s nice...” Tadashi wandered back over to Wirt, hands in his pockets. 

“Yeah, he’s good with people.”

“Do you guys get a lot of travelers?” Tadashi couldn’t help but notice how nonchalant Greg had been. He had even prepared extra food- though he claimed it was just coincidence. It seemed like this was almost expected by the brothers.

“We get a few. People tend to become lost in these woods. Greg and I have kind of taken up the job of helping them find their way out.” Wirt was a lot less off-putting when they weren’t standing alone in the dark woods. “We’re park rangers, more or less.” 

That made sense, at least... Tadashi  _ thought _ it did. 

In all honesty his head was still a little cluttered from his arrival into the woods. His thoughts were having difficulty being sorted and his whole head felt like a bucket of paint in which someone had just stirred the colors together into an unrecognizable mess. 

A part of him felt as if he should be asking more questions. But when it came to trying to form a question about his situation

His mind just went

B L A N K. 

“Food is ready my friends~” Greg called out from the kitchen. Tadashi shook himself, the smell of cooked meat filling his nose and wiping his mind clean of any thought other than the sudden, intense hunger in his stomach. Funny how it must have been some time since he last ate or drank  anything , and yet he was only now feeling those effects. 

“C’mon.” Wirt gestured for Tadashi to follow him and he sat the inventor at a cute little wooden table. (Odd how there were already three place settings- had Greg set it that quickly?). Wirt walked back into the kitchen bringing out a plate of steaming hot food. It looked like some sort of chicken dish. Tadashi didn’t really question what it was; as Wirt brought out a dish for himself  and for Greg of identical food and Tadashi was able to start eating, (It took every fiber of his being to wait until the other two were seated- he was _ starving _ .)

“This is really good.” Tadashi mumbled between  mouthfuls . 

“Thanks!” Greg was digging in as well, Wirt was eating, though not as quickly as the others. “I  pride myself on my cooking. Best cook in the house.” 

“Debatable.” Wirt countered. “Greg and I swap off on the chores, but I’m pretty sure cooking is his favorite thing to do.” 

“You would be right,” Greg admitted, a piece of chicken hanging out of his mouth.

“So, you said you are park rangers?” Tadashi had nearly finished his plate before he spoke again. He had shocked himself at his own ravenousness. “Is that your job? Are you two living all alone out here?” He had not heard a mention of parents, but Greg and Wirt seemed awfully young to be living in the wilderness by themselves. 

“Our parents died a while ago...” It was Wirt who answered. Tadashi grew quiet. 

“O-oh... I’m sorry... I know how that is... I lost my parents when my brother and I were still very young...” He felt a wave of empathy wash over him. These two were just like Hiro and himself- only they had no Aunt Cass to watch over them. 

“It was a really long time ago. It’s sad, but... we’re okay now.” He looked to Greg who smiled, that same grief in his gaze. That brief moment of humanity from the otherwise cryptic Wirt made Tadashi infinitely more understanding. He understood- more than the two brothers could guess. He could not imagine how hard it must have been. 

“It’s good you two are together...” he smiled softly. “I know my brother and I are the same way, looking out for each other, taking care of one another.” That sense of urgency was gradually breaking through the cloud in his mind again. “My brother... I have to get back to him. He must be worried sick about me right now. If anything happened to me... Hiro would be devastated.” Thinking of his brother made Tadashi’s heart feel suddenly very heavy. Something was weighing hard on him- something he could not quite remember. 

Perhaps....

He had had a bad dream....

He could see Hiro

See his tear-stained face-

That pounding in his chest was back, his face was hot again and for a moment he thought he could smell smoke. The two brothers were looking at him in silence. 

“Is something... burning?” Tadashi struggled to  speak .

Quite suddenly his throat was incredibly dry. 

“Here.” Wirt stood and returned with a cool cloth and a glass of water. Tadashi wasn’t quite sure how he had gotten it so quickly. “You look a little feverish. Maybe you should rest.” 

“N-no...” Tadashi was drinking down the water as if it would suddenly evaporate from the glass. “I... Hiro... I have to get back to him.” 

“Well we can’t go tonight.” Wirt replied, firmly as he placed the cool cloth to the back of Tadashi’s neck. The SFIT student could not fathom what had come over him suddenly- it must have been a rush of anxiety. It did feel like a panic attack. 

“We  _ have _ to!” He pleaded a bit. “You know these woods, right. Surely you can navigate around any crazy animals we might find.” 

“Animals aren't really the issue.” Wirt had that serious tone again. “It’s night, and once the sun sets these woods belong to The Beast.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please note this is canon to the cartoon only (for Over the Garden Wall) as I am SUPER behind on the comics! I know there are a lot of questions raised in this first chapter! What Happened to Wirt's eye? Why are Wirt and Greg back in the Unknown? Why is the Beast back? I hope you will enjoy reading as all these questions (and many more) are explored and answered. This is, honestly, one of my all time favorite concepts and I have been fleshing out the universe details for quite some time. I have even done lots of fanart surrounding the concept. I am just very excited to share it!


End file.
